Happy Ex- Formula One Pilot Gets Hitched in Monaco during the Race

Bob Bondurant, of « Grand Prix » movie fame and founder of the Bob Bondurant Racing School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix, Arizona, USA got married on the Monaco Formula 1 circuit last Friday. Amongst a very excited crowd of onlookers, Bondurant and his new wife, Patricia, said their “I do’s.”

Photo by Ed Wright de Edwright Images

Frank Damgaard of Monte-Carlo Weddings, who coordinated all the logistics, admitted that it was certainly the first wedding of its kind in the Principality. The couple, who had already officially gotten married in the US, had a handful of friends and family as witnesses and approached the joyous occasion with aplomb. The Monaco Formula 1 enthusiasts could not believe their eyes, as they certainly were not expecting to see anyone get married right on the race track that day!

As for Bondurant, he could think of no better place to exchange vows than on the very same circuit which earned him 4th place back in 1966 and where he worked as a consultant on the now famous movie "Grand Prix" with James Garner.

Photo by Ed Wright de Edwright Images

Nowadays he is better known as the leading authority on advanced driver training and has been at the forefront of professional driving instruction since the late sixties. Utilizing the Bondurant Method, over 250,000 students, ranging from housewives, racers and celebrities, to teenagers, professionals and police officers, have learned from Bondurant’s expertise.

In 1967, Bob joined the Dana Chevrolet Team in the growing Can-Am and USRC (United States Road Championship). That year while racing at Watkins Glen, a broken steering arm caused a crash at 150mph, rolling his car eight times and ending his promising professional racing career.

Faced with the possibility of never walking or racing again, Bob went back to what he knew better than anyone in the world: maximum car control.

Photo by Ed Wright de Edwright Images

On February 14, 1968, the doors opened at Orange County International Raceway, near Los Angeles, with three students. The next week there were two students, Paul Newman and Robert Wagner, training for the film, "Winning". Bob was technical advisor, camera car driver, and actor-instructor for the film. Ever since then, both Bondurant and his school have enjoyed success after success.